Spellhaunt(template)
"Spellhaunt" is a template that is applied to a spell effect. The characteristics of a spellhaunt are determined by the nature of the spell, including its caster level. Size and Type: A spellhaunt's size depends on its caster level. 1st--6th is Medium, 7th--12th is Large, 13th--18th is Huge, 19th or higher is Gargantuan. Its type is Ooze, and it has the Incorporeal subtype. Hit Dice: A spellhaunt has Hit Dice equal to its caster level. Speed: A spellhaunt has a flying speed that depends on the spell's range: A spell with a Close range has a flying speed of 30 feet, a spell with a Medium range has a flying speed of 60 feet, and a spell with a Long range has a flying speed of 90 feet. A spell with any other range has a flying speed of 30 feet. Maneuverability is Perfect in any case. Armor Class: A spellhaunt has a deflection bonus to its AC equal to its spell level. Attack: A spell haunt gains a slam attack that also drains magic. Damage dealt depends on the spellhaunt's size: Medium 1d4, Large 1d6, Huge 1d8, Gargantuan 2d6. See Magic Drain for the Special attacks: A spellhaunt has the following special attacks. Magic Drain (Su): If a spellhaunt hits an opponent with its slam attack, it drains any magic that the opponent might have. It affects magic in this order: Active spell effects on the opponent, Unused spell slots of the opponent, magic items worn by the opponent, in this order: shield, armor, helmet, item in hand, cloak, stowed or sheathed weapon, bracers, clothing, jewelry (including rings), and anything remaining. Within a category, a spellhaunt always drain the most powerful magic first. With each attack, it drains one spell, spell slot, special ability, enhancement bonus, or ten charges from a charged item; and gains 10 temporary hit points. Death Throes: If the spellhaunt dies in any way, its spell effect is finally released. Area of effect spells (like a fireball haunt) are centered on where the spellhaunt was; targetted spells, and spells with a Ray effect, target the closest creature; and other spell effects take place as appropriate (a summon monster I haunt would summon one hostile creature from the Summon Monster I list right where the spellhaunt was standing, for example). For some spellhaunts, the death throes is without effect: a charm person haunt would release a charm person effect on the nearest creature, but with the spellhaunt being destroyed, the charm would be irrelevant. Special Qualities: A spellhaunt has ooze traits and the incorporeal subtype traits. In addition, spellhaunts have the following special qualities: Detect Magic (Su): A spellhaunt is always aware of any magical aura within one mile, and it knows instantly the number, strength, and location of each aura. This ability is otherwise similar to the detect magic spell. Magic Immunity (Su): Spellhaunts are immune to all magic weapons, spells, and spell-like effects, with the exception of effects that would dispel, counterspell, negate, disjoin, or otherwise suppress the spell they are based of. A spellhaunt that is successfully dispelled, counterspelled, disjoined is instantly slain. A spellhaunt that enters an antimagic field or a dead magic zone ceases to exist (this does not trigger the death throes effect). When a spellhaunt is attacked by magic weapons or spells, it absorbs the cast spell as if it had drained it, or drains the magic weapon from one special ability of enhancement bonus. See Magic Drain. Saves: A spellhaunt has normal saves for a creature of the Ooze type (no good save). It gains a resistance bonus on all saves equal to its spell level. Abilities: A spellhaunt, being mindless, has no Intelligence score. Being incorporeal, they have no Strength score. All other ability scores (Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma) are equal to 10 + its spell level. Skills and Feats: A spellhaunt is mindless and thus has no skills nor feats. Environment: Any Organization: Solitary. Challenge Rating: ??? Alignment: A spellhaunt's alignment is always the same as the base spell. If the base spell has no alignment descriptor, then the spellhaunt is Neutral. Advancement: -- Level Adjustment: -- Spellhaunt Fireball Large Ooze (Incorporeal) HD: 10d10+10 (65 hp) Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex) Speed: Fly 60 ft. AC: 14 (+3 deflection, +1 Dex), Touch 14, Flat-footed 13 BAB/Grapple: +7/+12 (incorporeal only) Attack: 1 incorporeal touch +8 melee (1d6 plus magic drain) Full Attack: 1 incorporeal touch +8 melee (1d6 plus magic drain) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Magic drain Special Qualities: Ooze traits, magic immunity, detect magic, spell effect Saves: Fort. +4, Ref. +4, Will +4 Abilities: Str -, Dex 13, Con 13, Int -, Wis 13, Cha 13 Skills: None. Feats: Ability focus (magic drain) (B). Environment: Any Organization: Solitary CR: 8 Treasure: None Alignment: Always true neutral Advancement: - LA: - A spellhaunt is the remnant of a spell failure, not just from armor penalty or broken concentration, but also from planar energies which warped the spell. As a special kind of living spells, it appears as glowing energy, which is believed to depend on the spell which created it. Thus, a failed enervation may be dark and shadowy, while a failed cloudkill may be a roiling mass of yellowish vapors. It lives by draining magic as sustenance. Rumors has it that a demon lord discovered a certain way of creating and controlling spellhaunts. These mythical domesticated spellhaunts are called Feeders. A spellhaunt always head for the character with the most magic available and immediately cease its attack the moment the target has no more magic left. Thus, a non-spellcasting character can decoy it by stripping himself of magic items or remain in an anti-magic area. A spellhaunt is usually sated after draining 1d10+10 spell levels. This sample spellhaunt is created by a fireball spell cast at level 10. Magic Drain (Su): This spellhaunt’s melee attacks drain 3 spell levels per hit. This however is not subjected to damage reduction, so even if its attack does not penetrate damage reduction, the magic drain still functions. A spellhaunt gains 5 temporary hit points per spell level drained. It drains magic in the following order – spells currently in effect, non-activated magic items (e.g. ring of protection, long sword +1, etc.), magic potential of un-activated magic items (e.g. wands, potions, etc.) and prepared spells (or spell slots). Within this order, selection is random. A single charge yields 1 spell level. Weapons, armors, cloaks of resistance and rings of protection yield 1 spell level for every “plus” they possess, including special properties. For example, a keen flaming long sword +1 has a total of 3 spell levels. Furthermore, any weapon which strikes them is also drained of 1 “plus” per hit. Non-charge items, e.g. boots of speed, has a number of spell levels equals to half the item’s caster level. A non-charge item has 50% chance of losing a random power for 24 hours per spell level drained. A totally drained item becomes non-magical permanently. A creature gets to make a will save against Cha-based DC 16 to prevent one of its held or carried items from being drained. Detect Magic (Su): This spellhaunt constantly detect magic up to 900 ft. away. Magic Immunity (Ex): A spellhaunt is immune to all magic except for anti-magic effects, dispel magic, cancellation and negation. Treat this immunity as unbeatable spell resistance. A spellhaunt that is successfully dispelled, counter-spelled or disjoined is instantly slain. To identify the base spell of this spellhaunt (usually for counter-spell) requires a DC 27 spellcraft check. A spellhaunt that enters an anti-magic field or a dead magic zone ceases to exist (this does not trigger the death throes effect). Furthermore, this spellhaunt is immune to fireball spell and all spells with fire descriptor. Spell Effect (Su): This spellhaunt releases its spell effect as its death throes. When this spellhaunt is slain, it explodes as a 10d6 fireball spell centered on itself, DC 14 reflex save for half damage. Creating A Spellhaunt Spellhaunt is a template which can be applied to any spell. Size & Type: A spellhaunt’s size depends on its caster level: 1-6 medium, 7-12 large and 13+ huge. Its type is ooze with incorporeal subtype. HD: A spellhaunt has d10 HD equals to caster level. Speed: A spellhaunt has a fly speed (good) depending spell range: none (or caster) 10 ft., close 20 ft., medium 40 ft. and long 60 ft. AC: A spellhaunt has deflection bonus to AC equals to its spell level or its Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Attack: A spellhaunt has a slam attack which also drains magic. Its damage depends on size: 1d4 medium, 1d6 large and 1d8 huge. SA: A spellhaunt has magic drain attack. Magic Drain (Su): A spellhaunt’s melee attacks drain a number of spell levels equals to the spell level of its base spell. For example, a spellhaunt created from a fireball spell would drain 3 spell levels per hit. This however is not subjected to damage reduction, so even if its attack does not penetrate damage reduction, the magic drain still functions. A spellhaunt gains 5 temporary hit points per spell level drained. It drains magic in the following order – spells currently in effect, non-activated magic items (e.g. ring of protection, long sword +1, etc.), magic potential of un-activated magic items (e.g. wands, potions, etc.) and prepared spells (or spell slots). Within this order, selection is random. A single charge yields 1 spell level. Weapons, armors, cloaks of resistance and rings of protection yield 1 spell level for every “plus” they possess, including special properties. For example, a keen flaming long sword +1 has a total of 3 spell levels. Furthermore, any weapon which strikes them is also drained of 1 “plus” per hit. Non-charge items, e.g. boots of speed, have a number of spell levels equals to half the item’s caster level. A non-charge item has 50% chance of losing a random power for 24 hours per spell level drained. A totally drained item becomes non-magical permanently. A creature gets to make a will save against DC 12 + Charisma modifier + spell level to prevent one of its held or carried items from being drained. SQ: A spellhaunt has ooze and incorporeal traits. It also has the following qualities. Detect Magic (Su): A spellhaunt constantly detect magic up to 300 ft. away per caster level. Magic Immunity (Ex): A spellhaunt is immune to all magic except for anti-magic effects, dispel magic, cancellation and negation. Treat this immunity as unbeatable spell resistance. A spellhaunt that is successfully dispelled, counter-spelled or disjoined is instantly slain. The living nature of a spellhaunt increases attempts to identify the base spell (in order to counter-spell) by +4, requires a spellcraft check against DC 24 + spell level. A spellhaunt that enters an anti-magic field or a dead magic zone ceases to exist (this does not trigger the death throes effect). Furthermore, it is immune to its base spell and spells with similar descriptors. Spell Effect (Su): A spellhaunt based on a non-offensive, non-damaging spell has the same spell in continuous effect. For example, a spellhaunt created by a true seeing spell has true seeing in continuous effect. Similarly, a spellhaunt created by a stoneskin spell has stoneskin in continuous effect. A spellhaunt based on an offensive, damaging spell releases its spell effect as its death throes. If such a spellhaunt dies in any way, its spell effect is finally released. Area of effect spells (like a fireball) are centered on where the spellhaunt was; targeted spells, and spells with a ray effect, target the closest creature; and other spell effects take place as appropriate (a summon monster I haunt would summon one hostile creature from the Summon Monster I list right where the spellhaunt was standing, for example). For some spellhaunts, the death throes is without effect: a charm person haunt would release a charm person effect on the nearest creature, but with the spellhaunt being destroyed, the charm would be irrelevant. Save DC is 10 + Charisma modifier + spell level. Saves: A spellhaunt has normal saves for a creature of the ooze type (no good save). It gains a resistance bonus on all saves equal to its spell level. Abilities: A spellhaunt, being mindless, has no Intelligence score. Being incorporeal, they have no Strength score. All other ability scores (Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma) are equal to 10 + its spell level. Skills & Feats: A spellhaunt has ability focus (magic drain) as a bonus feat. Otherwise, its mindless nature denies it of skills and feats. Environment: Any. Organization: Solitary. Challenge Rating: As spell level + ½ caster level. Alignment: A spellhaunt's alignment is always the same as the base spell. If the base spell has no alignment descriptor, then the spellhaunt is neutral. :whatsthis Note: The original spellhaunt does not have the spell effect special quality. Its magic drain is modified from spellfire channeler prestige class.